100% father

In two weeks you will check if you are the father of your child. 1500 zlotys and a little saliva are enough. You can take samples for testing yourself at home. The result can change your life.

Paternity testing

is a matter of honor for every man. Three nervous women are sitting in the waiting room of the Department of Forensic Medicine of the Medical Academy in Warsaw. Each has a child on her lap. The youngest are crying out loud. - You need a father to do the test. That's why these women have been waiting here since morning. Fathers often do not come - explains Dr. Rafał Płoski from the Medical Academy, who has been doing paternity tests at the request of Polish courts for years. - The personal arrival of the gentlemen is obligatory. DNA samples sent in by mail are not enough. We present the candidate for dad, we collect his blood in our laboratory. We'll do a 100% sure test. It's too serious to take any chances. After all, a mistake can cost you dearly: breaking a child's life - explains the doctor.

They are raising not their own children

How to check if you are a father? It's simple - by testing DNA. What is needed, for example, is the saliva or the blood of the child and the alleged father. Material from the mother facilitates the examination. Then the samples are processed by computer. Graphs of the genetic code of the parents and the child are clearly visible on the monitor screen. If the sections of the graphs match, it can be concluded that the man is the father of the child. When there are four or more differences, the man is not considered to be the father of the child. Three differences do not exclude him from the ranks of potential daddies yet. You have to even repeat the tests many times until you are 100% sure. In Poland, samples collected for the purposes of courts rarely show so many differences between the graphs of genetic codes. Paternity is confirmed or excluded faster. In the West, probably every tenth European citizen is raising a child not of his own. About 30,000 tests are performed annually in each of the western countries. In Poland, only 3,000. The number of applicants is constantly growing. Unfortunately, private laboratories are primarily profit-oriented. They often do not invest in modern equipment and send the collected samples for testing in other laboratories. When sending them, the reference material may be confused. There are also deliberate substitutions - for example, the saliva or the hair of a brother or friend were sent.Private laboratories do not check it, nor do they take responsibility for the test results. Discretion and speed then turn against clients for whom establishing paternity is almost a matter of life and death.

Secret from my wife

A dozen or so years ago, a court order was needed to perform a paternity test. Today it is possible to conduct a test even without the mother's knowledge. Robert S. from Morąg caught his wife cheating. 30-year-old Alicja admitted to a several-month-long affair with his friend. And recently, S., a son, Kamil, was born. - She was cheating on me. How can I be sure she hasn't done this before and that this is my baby? This case did not give me peace for a long time. I didn't believe Ali's assurances. I decided to find out the truth for myself, says the 35-year-old. However, he did not dare to ask his wife for permission to undergo the examination. It turned out that it was enough to buy a sampling kit at a pharmacy, take a swab from the inside of my son's cheek with a stick and send it along with his saliva to one of the companies. After three weeks, Robert got an answer. - It turned out that Kamil could be my son, but I was not 100% sure! It made me angry: I paid 1700 zlotys and my doubts deepened. I argued with Alicja more and more often, mostly about little things. I couldn't tell her that the source of my anger was the unclear situation of my fatherhood. After all, I did the research in secret. In the end, I grabbed her that she was freaking out and that I had done a test which showed that it is not known who the father of our child is - she says. Ala cried, she swore, she even tried to commit suicide. She finally agreed to be re-examined. They found their way to the laboratory of one of the Medical Academy in the country. They waited in line for almost 6 weeks. The study was complicated and had to be deepened many times. But it paid off: it showed a 100 percent probability of Robert being paternal. Robert and Alicja made up. - I'm relieved. I will never trust my wife like I did before the betrayal, but I'm sure Kamil is my son. I regained my peace of mind - explains the 35-year-old. - It is definitely better to go to a reputable laboratory with your partner right away, and not to do tests in secret - explains Dr. Płoski. - If such doubts arise, they must be dispelled immediately. The resistance of the woman will be useless, because this matter will come back sooner or later. The man will conduct the examination anyway. Establishing paternity is also an ambitious matter for him.

Sometimes it's better not to know …

The study evokes strong emotions. Women want confirmation that the man being sued for maintenance is the father of their children. And men care about something completelythe opposite: excluding their participation in the case, i.e. excluding paternity. One of the Department's clients did not allow himself to take blood until he checked that someone had hidden under the couch and changed the vials later … Another brought his partner's lace briefs three times to check if the dried sperm belonged to him. - Every man has the right to doubt - says Dr. Płoski. - It happens that we repeat the tests even several times. Private companies only do one thing without deepening. And you have to pay for each additional one - he adds. Three years ago, Jadwiga N. applied for alimony to the court in Piaseczno, two gentlemen. The study found that … none of them are the father. On another occasion, two brothers tried to cheat the lab. The brother volunteered for his brother - in order to avoid paying child support for his daughter. - The issues of settling paternity in the family (two brothers, sister-brother, incestuous relationships) are the most difficult to mark - says the doctor. It happens that men do not want the test result to be a reason to withdraw their parental rights if it turns out that they are not the biological father of the child. - Sometimes it's better not to know the truth. Especially when the child is already several years old. Breaking up the family at such a point could end in drama. When establishing paternity, it is always best to do it as early as possible - emphasizes Dr. Płoski firmly. Once two men volunteered. Younger: 25-year-old tall blonde and older: around 50, short and swarthy. Father and son. Completely unlike each other. They were connected only by Izabela - the blonde's mother and the swarthy wife. Exactly 26 years ago she left for Sweden and came back pregnant … Both men decided to clarify the matter only after many years. The study excluded the 50-year-old as a father, but it did not change the feelings of both men. They embraced each other. They promised their relationship would not change. - I hope nothing will change - adds Dr. Rafał Płoski. - In many cases, such a message turns life upside down. While it is well known that a good father is an upbringing and an emotional relationship, not just genes.

P recipes in Poland

• Both parents must consent to the paternity test (Art. 97 par. 2 of the Family and Guardianship Code).
• Testing secretly from your partner is illegal! Persons carrying out such tests may be prosecuted.

Research in medical academies

Medical academies across the country carry out tests mainly at the request of the court. You can also register privately, but not anonymously. Both parents must present their ID cards and present themselves for blood donation. It is being investigatedonly blood or saliva. You can wait up to a month and a half for the result. The test result can be evidence in court. AM takes responsibility for it. Out of a million of the surveyed men, one can be considered a father, although biologically he is not.
Cost of the service: PLN 900-1500.

In private clinics

There are 8 private companies in Poland. Samples for testing are taken by oneself according to the instructions attached to the test kit and sent by post. The result is also sent by post, with discretion. The mother's consent to the examination is not necessary. Blood, saliva, hair, and even chewed gum or a cigarette butt are examined. We will get the result within 2 weeks. Private companies do not take responsibility for the result, it is not the basis for pursuing maintenance claims in court. The test kit can be ordered by phone, online or purchased at a pharmacy. One out of every thousand surveyed men can be considered a father, although he is not biologically a father.
Cost of the service: PLN 1500-3000.

How is it in the West?

Natasza Socha from Germany: German laboratories carry out 20,000 to 40,000 tests a year. paternity tests. Every tenth German is not the biological father of the child he considers his own. Most sets are sold on Father's Day and they are bought by men persuaded to do so by, for example, their mothers. Mother-in-law undermine the faithfulness of their daughter-in-law and demand that the truth be established when, for example, the child is not similar to the father or his mother may be suspected of cheating. In the USA, companies compete in this type of offer. The free market causes a lot of competition and high quality of services. Anyone can take the test. The law does not require the consent of the child's mother. In the Netherlands, too, legal provisions give each parent the power to decide about their child. English companies, on the other hand, require the consent of both parents to perform paternity tests.

Worth knowing

Home paternity test
The kit includes three packets with special sticks (swabs) for collecting saliva, sterile gloves and DNA binding (securing) cards .

• We collect saliva samples from the child (even from the infant) and from the father: rub the inner part of the cheek with a stick from the kit.
• The ends of the sticks are wrapped in a special piece of paper and packed into an envelope.
• In addition to the saliva samples, we also put hair or used chewing gum - everything is secured with cards from the kit to fix DNA.
• We fill out the order form and attach the proof of payment to the package.
• We put everything together in an envelope and send it to the laboratory.

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